-LRB- Mental Floss -RRB- -- If you think comic book characters do amazing things in comic books , you wo n't believe what they can do off the page .

For starters , Superman brought down the Ku Klux Klan , and Donald Duck raised ships from the ocean floor .

1 . Superman defeats the Ku Klux Klan

In the 1940s , `` The Adventures of Superman '' was a radio sensation . Kids across the country huddled around their sets as the Man of Steel leapt off the page and over the airwaves . Although Superman had been fighting crime in print since 1938 , the weekly audio episodes fleshed out his storyline even further .

It was on the radio that Superman first faced kryptonite , met The Daily Planet reporter Jimmy Olsen , and became associated with `` truth , justice , and the American way . '' So , it 's no wonder that when a young writer and activist named Stetson Kennedy decided to expose the secrets of the Ku Klux Klan , he looked to a certain superhero for inspiration .

In the post-World War II era , the Klan experienced a huge resurgence . Its membership was skyrocketing , and its political influence was increasing , so Kennedy went undercover to infiltrate the group . By regularly attending meetings , he became privy to the organization 's secrets .

But when he took the information to local authorities , they had little interest in using it . The Klan had become so powerful and intimidating that police were hesitant to build a case against them .

Struggling to make use of his findings , Kennedy approached the writers of the Superman radio serial . It was perfect timing . With the war over and the Nazis no longer a threat , the producers were looking for a new villain for Superman to fight . The KKK was a great fit for the role .

In a 16-episode series titled `` Clan of the Fiery Cross , '' the writers pitted the Man of Steel against the men in white hoods . As the storyline progressed , the shows exposed many of the KKK 's most guarded secrets .

By revealing everything from code words to rituals , the program completely stripped the Klan of its mystique . Within two weeks of the broadcast , KKK recruitment was down . And by 1948 , people were showing up to Klan rallies just to mock them .

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2 . Donald Duck 's scientific breakthrough

In 1966 , Danish engineer Karl Krøyer developed a method for raising sunken ships off the ocean floor by injecting them with polystyrene foam balls . However , when Krøyer tried to license his invention with the Dutch patent office , he was denied . Donald Duck had beaten him to the punch by 22 years .

Indeed , Krøyer 's concept could be traced back to a Donald Duck comic conceived by Carl Barks . In addition to being the most celebrated artist of the Donald Duck comics , Barks was known for his scientific prowess .

So in a 1944 story , when Donald got a bump on his head that turned him into a genius , the duck managed to mumble , `` If I mix CH2 -LSB- a methylene compound -RSB- with NH4 -LSB- ammonium -RSB- and boil the atoms in osmotic fog , I should get speckled nitrogen ! ''

Although it sounded like nonsense , it was n't . In 1963 , chemists P.P. Gaspar and G.S. Hammond wrote a technical article about methylene that included a reference to the Donald Duck story .

The final paragraph read , `` Among experiments which have not , to our knowledge , been carried out as yet is one of a most intriguing nature suggested in the literature of no less than 19 years ago . ''

A footnote revealed that `` literature '' as the Donald Duck comic . It seems the web-footed children 's hero had deduced the chemical intermediate long before it had been proven to exist .

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But why were these top American chemists looking to comics for inspiration ? Apparently , Dr. Gaspar had been a lifelong Donald Duck fan , and he 'd rediscovered Donald 's early reference to methylene while collecting old copies of the classic adventures .

Gaspar never disclosed how much his work owed to Duckburg 's most famous resident , but then again , how many scientists would confess that they used comic books to bolster their research ?

3 . A Spider-Man villain keeps folks out of jail

In a 1977 edition of Spider-Man , Peter Parker has the tables turned on him . The villain , Kingpin , tracks down Spidey using an electronic transmitter that he 'd fastened to the superhero 's wrist . Although Kingpin loses in the end -LRB- he always does -RRB- , one New Mexico judge saw beauty in his plan .

Inspired by the strip , Judge Jack Love turned to computer salesman Michael Goss and asked if he could create a similar device to keep track of crime suspects awaiting trial .

In 1983 , Goss produced his first batch of electronic monitors . Authorities in Albuquerque then tested the devices on five offenders , using the gadgets as an alternative to incarceration .

Today , the transmitters are a common sight in courtrooms across the country , usually in the form of electronic ankle bracelets . Most famously , Martha Stewart donned one while she was under house arrest in 2004 . Perhaps she would have felt better knowing that the gadget had once nabbed Spider-Man , too .

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4 . Captain Marvel Jr. saves the bad-hair day

Like most American kids in the 1940s , Elvis Presley fantasized about growing up to be like his favorite comic book superheroes . But it turns out that The King might have been more interested in their fashion statements than their special powers .

During his early teen years , Elvis was obsessed with Captain Marvel Jr. , known as `` America 's most famous boy hero . '' A younger version of Captain Marvel , the character sported an unusual hairstyle that featured a curly tuft of hair falling over the side of his forehead .

Sound familiar ? When Elvis set out to conquer America with his rock 'n' roll ways , he copied the ` do , thus making it one of the most famous hairstyles of the 20th century .

But that was n't all . Captain Marvel also gets credit for the short capes Elvis wore on the back of his jumpsuits , as well as The King 's famous TCB logo , which bears a striking resemblance to Marvel 's lightning bolt insignia .

Of course , Elvis never tried to hide his love for the Captain . A copy of Captain Marvel Jr. . No. 51 still sits in his preserved childhood bedroom in an apartment in Memphis , and his full comics collection remains intact in the attic at Graceland .

Plus , the admiration was mutual . Captain Marvel Jr. paid tribute to The King in one issue , referring to the singer as `` the greatest modern-day philosopher . ''

For more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com

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Several comic book heroes have affected people in real life

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Superman battled the KKK in radio series `` Clan of the Fiery Cross ''

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Something created in Spider-Man comic inspires device that keeps people out of jail

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And Donald Duck blocked a scientist from getting a patent